Bank promotion exams in public sector banks cover a defined set of topics that every candidate must master — from banking laws and RBI guidelines to your bank’s own products and HR policies. This page organises all free study material available on BankersClub by subject area, so you can work through each topic systematically without hunting across multiple pages.

How to use this study material

Not all topics carry equal weight across every scale. Before diving in, check the Bank Promotion Exam Syllabus 2026 to see which areas matter most for your specific promotion (Scale I → II carries more weight on basic banking laws; Scale IV → V shifts toward financial management and leadership).

Recommended sequence: Banking Laws → RBI Guidelines → Credit & Advances → Bank Products → Finacle / CBS → HR & IR → Financial Management → Current Affairs.

1. Banking Laws

Banking laws form the foundation of every promotion exam — typically 15–20 questions across scales.

• Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 — cheques, promissory notes, bills of exchange, endorsement, dishonour
• Banking Regulation Act 1949 — licensing, CRR/SLR, restrictions on loans, RBI powers
• Reserve Bank of India Act 1934 — functions of RBI, monetary policy framework
• Section 138 NI Act — dishonour of cheque for insufficiency of funds
• Endorsement under NI Act — types and legal effects
• Promissory Note vs Bill of Exchange — key differences
• Law of Limitation in Banking — time limits for recovery suits

2. RBI Guidelines & Regulations

• Statutory Ratios — CRR, SLR, Bank Rate, Repo Rate
• Banking Ombudsman Scheme — complaint process, grounds, time limits
• RBI Clean Note Policy
• RBI Note Refund Rules 2018
• RBI Guidelines on Wilful Defaulters
• Non-Performing Assets — Prudential Norms — NPA classification, provisioning
• KYC / AML Guidelines — customer due diligence, PMLA linkage

3. Credit, Loans & Advances

• Simplified Turnover Method for Working Capital — Nayak Committee norms
• Priority Sector Lending — targets, sub-targets, PSLC, agriculture, MSME
• CGTMSE Scheme — credit guarantee for MSME, coverage, fee structure
• MSME — Definition, Classification & Loan Products
• CGFMU vs CGTMSE — Comparison

4. Banker–Customer Relationship

• Banker–Customer Relationship — debtor-creditor, agent-principal, trustee
• Nomination Facility in Banks — legal framework, how to nominate
• Bank Accounts for NRIs — NRE, NRO, FCNR(B) differences

5. Finacle / Core Banking System (CBS)

Finacle-related questions appear in most PSB promotion exams for Scale I → II and Scale II → III, and sometimes Scale III → IV — typically 10–12 questions. These cover fast-path menu codes, transaction workflows, ECS, clearing, and MIS reports. Many candidates underestimate this section and leave easy marks on the table.

• Finacle Menu Shortcuts & Fast Path PDF — complete keyboard guide with all major fast-path codes
• Finacle Commands for ECS — all 15 menus with workflow
• Finacle Menus for Demand Draft (DD) — 26 commands with workflow
• Finacle Menus for Clearing — 40 commands with workflow

What to focus on: Know the fast-path codes for common transactions (account opening, NEFT/RTGS, DD, clearing), report generation menus, and ECS/mandate workflows. Questions are usually application-based — “which menu do you use to…” — not pure memorisation of codes.

6. HR, Industrial Relations & Service Regulations

HR & IR carries 10–20% weight in most exams and becomes increasingly important from Scale II → III onwards. Focus on service regulations, leave rules, disciplinary proceedings, and promotion policy. Bipartite settlements may be touched upon but are not typically a high-question area.

• Service regulations — leave rules, transfer policy, disciplinary procedures, appeals
• Industrial Relations — union recognition, negotiation process, strike/lockout provisions
• Promotion policy — eligibility criteria, composite score components, DPC process
• 12th Bipartite Settlement 2024 — key provisions (reference only; not a high-question area in most exams)
• History of Bipartite Settlements — 1st to 13th (useful for timeline questions)
• PLI for Scale IV+ Officers — the DFS incentive scheme dispute and current court case status

7. Financial Management (Scale III and above)

Financial management becomes a major topic from Scale III → IV onwards, carrying 15–25% weight at senior levels.

• Capital adequacy — Basel III norms, Tier 1 & Tier 2 capital, CRAR
• Asset-Liability Management (ALM) — interest rate risk, liquidity risk
• Bank financial statements — reading P&L, balance sheet ratios
• Treasury operations — government securities, yield curve basics

8. Current Banking Affairs & RBI Policy (2024–2026)

Questions on recent RBI circulars, budget provisions affecting banking, and government schemes are asked in most exams — especially at Scale II and above. This is the one area where no static study material fully substitutes for reading current sources.

Sources to follow:

• RBI website → Notifications section (filter: last 6 months)
• IBA circulars
• Your bank’s internal circulars (especially credit policy updates)
• Economic Survey & Union Budget highlights

Topic-wise weightage across scales

This table is an indicative estimate of topic emphasis, not a set of figures taken from any bank circular. Actual numbers vary by bank, so check the guide for your bank (links in the FAQ below).

Topic Area	Scale I→II	Scale II→III	Scale III→IV	Scale IV→V
Banking Laws (NI Act, BR Act, RBI Act)	18–22 Qs	15–18 Qs	12–15 Qs	8–12 Qs
RBI Guidelines & Credit Policy	13–16 Qs	13–16 Qs	11–15 Qs	9–13 Qs
Credit, Advances & PSL	10–14 Qs	11–15 Qs	10–14 Qs	8–12 Qs
Bank Products & Schemes	8–12 Qs	8–11 Qs	6–10 Qs	5–8 Qs
Finacle / CBS (menus, reports, workflows)	10–12 Qs	10–12 Qs	8–10 Qs	—
HR, IR & Service Regulations	10–13 Qs	12–15 Qs	13–17 Qs	12–16 Qs
Financial Management	5–8 Qs	8–12 Qs	15–20 Qs	18–23 Qs
Current Affairs & RBI Policy	8–12 Qs	8–12 Qs	8–11 Qs	8–11 Qs

Scale-wise preparation approach

Scale I → II (Officer): Focus on banking laws (NI Act, BR Act), KYC/AML, PSL basics, and your bank’s retail products. Add Finacle fast-path menus and common transaction workflows — 10–12 questions here are among the most predictable in the paper. Most other questions are application-level, not rote recall.

Scale II → III (Manager → Senior Manager): Finacle and CBS workflows remain testable. Add HR & IR — service regulations, disciplinary proceedings, promotion policy — to your banking law base. Credit assessment methods (Nayak Committee, cash budget) are tested heavily.

Scale III → IV (Senior Manager → Chief Manager): Financial management moves to centre stage — Basel III, CRAR, ALM, treasury basics. HR weight also increases; focus on disciplinary procedures, leave rules, and promotion policy.

Scale IV → V (Chief Manager → AGM): Strategic topics dominate — risk management frameworks, RBI supervisory expectations, board-level governance basics. Laws become less about memorizing sections and more about their business impact.

For a full scale-wise breakdown: Bank Promotion Exam Syllabus — All Scales.

Study schedule: 8 weeks to exam day

Week	Focus	Daily time
1–2	Banking Laws — NI Act, BR Act, RBI Act; make a 1-page summary of each	1.5 hr
3	RBI guidelines, KYC/AML, NPA norms, Banking Ombudsman	1.5 hr
4	Credit & PSL — PSL targets, MSME norms, working capital methods, CGTMSE	1.5 hr
5	Finacle / CBS — fast-path codes, ECS, clearing, DD, report menus; bank products & schemes	1.5 hr
6	HR & IR — service regulations, leave rules, disciplinary procedures, promotion policy	1.5 hr
7	Financial management (Scale III+) + current affairs compilation	2 hr
8	Full mock test + gap analysis; rapid revision — 50 MCQs daily from question banks	2 hr

See a detailed phase-wise strategy in: How to Prepare for Bank Promotion Exam 2026.

Get the complete study material in one place

The individual topic pages above give you the concepts. What the Bank Promotion Course adds is structure — every topic organised scale by scale into exam-ready chapters with solved examples, so you study in the right order instead of hunting across pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is bank promotion exam study material?

It is the set of topics a public sector bank tests in its internal promotion exams: banking laws (NI Act, Banking Regulation Act, RBI Act), RBI guidelines, credit and advances, priority sector lending, bank products, Finacle/CBS, HR and industrial relations, financial management for higher scales, and current banking affairs. The sections above link our free notes on each.

Q: Is there any official study material provided by banks for promotion exams?

Banks publish the promotion policy and the exam notice, which set eligibility, marks and the broad syllabus, but we are not aware of any that issue a full study guide. Candidates typically combine banking law textbooks, RBI guidelines and coaching material. BankersClub articles cover the major topics tested.

Q: Which topics should I study first for a bank promotion exam?

Start with banking laws (NI Act, BR Act, RBI Act) because they apply to every scale. Then move to RBI guidelines and credit topics. HR & IR should be studied last but not skipped: it is the most commonly neglected topic and can decide the result at Scale II and above.

Q: Is JAIIB study material sufficient for a bank promotion exam?

JAIIB covers overlapping topics, so that material gives you a strong base. However, bank promotion exams also test your specific bank’s products, internal policies, HR & IR provisions and recent RBI circulars, none of which appear in JAIIB study material. You must supplement JAIIB material with bank-specific preparation.

Q: How many months of preparation is enough for a bank promotion exam?

For Scale I to II, most candidates need 6 to 8 weeks of focused daily study (1.5 to 2 hours a day) if they have a banking law background. For Scale III to V, where financial management carries higher weight, allow 10 to 12 weeks. Candidates with JAIIB or CAIIB typically need 2 to 3 weeks less.

Q: How is the written test structured in bank promotion exams?

Each bank sets its own pattern. In the circulars we summarise: PNB’s clerk-to-officer process uses two 100-mark online papers; Union Bank’s State Services test is one 100-mark paper on practical banking and CBS with a 35% pass mark (30% for SC/ST/PwBD); Central Bank’s clerk-to-Assistant Manager test is 100 marks (Banking 70, Computer/CBS 15, English 15) with 50% needed; Bank of Baroda’s All India channel gives its online test 60 of 100 marks. Negative marking and duration are set in each bank’s exam notice, so confirm them there.

Q: Does the written exam alone determine promotion?

No. Other components are added to the test score, and they differ by bank. PNB’s clerk-to-officer merit is test plus qualification marks (maximum 25) plus service marks (maximum 25). Bank of Baroda’s All India channel splits 100 marks as online test 60, interview 25, appraisal 10 and rural service 5. Canara Bank’s merit channel for Scale I to II is performance 20, online test 50 and interview 30. Bank of India’s merit channel for Scale I to II and II to III is appraisal 30, test 30, interview 30 and qualifications plus branch managership 10.

Q: Is this study material free?

Yes. The notes linked on this page are free to read. The scale-wise Bank Promotion Exam Course adds structured chapters, exam-style MCQs and mock tests as a paid, one-time purchase, and sample chapters are free to read without a card.

Q: Where can I find the official rules for my bank?

Each bank’s HR circulars set the rules. We summarise them, with the circular numbers and dates, in our guides for PNB, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Union Bank and Central Bank of India. The bank promotion chart shows how scales and years of service line up across public sector banks.

Disclaimer: Bank promotion exam patterns, topic weights, and eligibility criteria vary by bank and are updated periodically. Always verify the specific exam circular issued by your bank before finalising your preparation plan. BankersClub articles are for educational purposes only.